DRAFT November 15, 2023 Mr. Max Hobart 74 Standish Cir, Wellesley, MA 02481 Dear Mr. Hobart, Thank you for the opportunity of conducting a concert of the Metro-West Symphony on November 12, 2023 and for your willingness to provide me with a summary of your observations of my performance on that occasion. As you requested, I append to this letter a draft of comments which you might choose to endorse. I consider attempts to promote myself, however unavoidable they might be in charting a career as a musical conductor, to be precarious enterprises, and I not only ask you to make such critical corrections of my draft as you consider apposite, but also to feel free to add to it such derogatory comments as you deem appropriate. Please accept my thanks for the opportunity to conduct and my very best wishes for your recovery and future good health. Sincerely, Nathaniel Meyer ======================= Concerning Nathaniel Meyer: I make this recommendation as the conductor of the Metro-West Symphony Orchestra https://metrowestsymphony.org/ who on short notice asked Nathaniel to conduct its concert in Hopkinton MA on November 12, 2023 in a program consisting of the Overture to the Barber of Seville by Rossini, Pavane by Ravel, Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet, and the Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg with pianist Constantine Finehouse. I was present at the concert and observed and heard Nathaniel's conducting. I thought the audience was enthusiastic. There was an encore. The orchestra was well rehearsed and its sound was balanced. Nathaniel followed my directions about conducting and my suggestions about interpretions of the scores. He had been helpful to me in finding an accomplished player for principal trumpet. He had found for me a suitable excellent arrangement of "My Country 'tis of thee" for which I had asked in celebration of "Veterans' Day". He kindly helped a player of second clarinet struggling with her part. The pianist told me he enjoyed working with Nathaniel and said that his conducting was easy to follow. Nathaniel's beat was clear and replete with energy and emotion. One of the members of the orchestra wrote to Nathaniel: “Nathaniel, I’m Lee and play oboe with Max’s group. It has been a pleasure following your lead as you helped us through this concert. You come to rehearsal with so much energy and great ideas and clear direction. I don’t know when this will happen again so I wanted to say an extra thank you. You have already developed a style that musicians will only benefit from ..., Bravo! Work well done.” “I hope you’re proud of all you did with MSO. Max was very happy today. It’s always a little bittersweet when a concert is over, having invested the work, and then poof, done. I look forward to following you and all of your accomplishments going forward. Wonderful conductor. And a great accomplishment. Be well.” In making my own observations, I rely on extensive musical experience as a performer, conductor and teacher, now retired after 27 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which I served as Assistant Concertmaster under Erich Leinsdorf, William Steinberg and Seiji Ozawa. November ____, 2023 Max Hobart (signed)